The use of natural products in medicated lotions for the treatment of teeth and gums is old in the art having been practiced and documented since 1860 when U.S. Pat. No. 30,834 was granted for medicated lotions containing natural product extracts from cloves and myrrh to J. G. Popp. Since then, many patents have disclosed the compositions of oral products containing natural product extracts. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 69,388 was issued to C. E. Blake for a tooth powder flavored with rose, bergamot or winter-green. U.S. Pat. No. 115,719 was issued to J. O. Draper for a tooth soap containing tincture of myrrh and pulverized orris root. However, none of the prior art references disclosed clinically proved records for plaque and gingivitis effect in humans.
Bacterial plaque on tooth surfaces is a major etiological factor in gingivitis and periodontitis as shown by M. M. Ash et al., J. Peridontal, 35:424-429, 1964; H. Leo et al. J. Periodontal 36:177-187, 1965; and E. Theilade et al., J. Peridont Res. 1:1-13, 1966. Recently, specific oral microorganisms in plaque have been implicated in chronic periodontal disease. One approach to mitigate developing gingivitis and periodontitis is to prevent or reduce plaque formation. There is also evidence that antibacterials can be beneficial as an adjunct to the mechanical removal of plaque. Moreover, it has been shown recently that a toothpaste and a mouthrinse composition containing an antibacterial chemical, commercially known as Triclosan, reduce plaque and gingivitis in clinical studies in humans.
It is an object of this invention to provide improved oral compositions, such as, toothpastes and mouthrinses.
It is another object to provide improved oral compositions containing a combination of natural flavoring agents.
Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a further reading of the specification.